The art that can be described
is not the eternal Art.
The art that can be spoken
is not the eternal Art.The nameless is the boundary of Heaven and Earth.
The named is the mother of creation.Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery.
By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real.Yet mystery and reality
emerge from the same source.
This source is called darkness.
Darkness born from darkness.
The beginning of all understanding.
When people see things as beautiful,
ugliness is created.
When people see things as good,
evil is created.
Being and non-being produce each other.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low oppose each other.
Fore and aft follow each other.
Therefore the Artist
can act without doing anything
and teach without saying a word.
Things come her way and she does not stop them;
things leave and she lets them go.
She has without possessing,
and acts without any expectations.
When her work is done, she takes no credit.
That is why it will last forever.
